Strawberries & Cream Squares

Strawberries & Cream Squares 8 oz. package cream cheese 1, room temp 1 cup white chocolate chips 1 1/2 cups strawberries chopped 1 1/4 cup sugar divided 1/3 cup water 2 tbsp cornstarch 1/3 cup shortening 5 tbsp butter or 1/3 cup 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp vanilla extract you can also use almond, I just prefer vanila 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups flour Cool Whip ~ large tub In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream together shortening, butter and 3/4 cups of sugar. Mix well until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and vanilla extract and blend until well mixed. In a separate bowl, combine baking powder, flour, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix until well blended. Spread crust mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, or until just the edges are slightly golden brown. Let cool. Add white chocolate chips to microwaveable bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals (make sure you peek at it so it doesn't burn) Mix with cream cheese until well mixed. Spread cream cheese and white chocolate layer over cookie crust and place in the refrigerator to cool. In a small saucepan, mix together 1/2 cups sugar and cornstarch. Add the strawberries and water on medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Once mixture is boiling, remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Pour strawberry mixture over cream cheese layer and refrigerate for 2 hours. Once thoroughly cooled, top with Cool Whip and serve!